NEWSLETTER

SEPTEMBER 2024

Welcome to FALL 2024

Photo: 2024-2025 Cohort (Faculty Mentors and Fellows)

In the fall of 2020, Bakersfield College launched the Faculty Diversification Fellowship Program to streamline the recruitment, onboarding, and mentorship of future faculty from historically underrepresented minority groups. This program, at inception, focused on candidates in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and Social and Behavioral Sciences disciplines. Additional funding from the California Community College Foundation K-16 Regional Collaborative has allowed the program to expand to additional disciplines.

Since the program's inception, in the 2020-21 Academic Year (AY), there has been increased visibility with partner institutions and the region. A total of 106 program participants have engaged in the program over the last three AYs. Thus far, 65 faculty fellows and 41 faculty mentors, have participated in the program. To date, 80% (n=52) are currently employed by a community college or CSU in the state. The remaining 20% (n=13) are working in private industry or have pursued another educational opportunity. Further, in the 2023-24 AY, Bakersfield College hired 18 full-time/tenure-track faculty. Of those, seven (38%) are program graduates from the 2022-23 cohort.

This fall, we welcomed our fifth cohort (2024-25 AY). We successfully recruited 14 candidates from UC Merced, CSU Bakersfield, California Baptist University, Brown University, and the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). We are excited about the new year and new opportunities!

Updates from the California Community College Chancellors' Office

The Learning Lab Announces

Two New Grant Opportunities

The California Education Learning Lab (Learning Lab) is pleased to announce two new grant opportunities to promote AI-integrated innovation in teaching and learning at California Community Colleges (CCC), and California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC) campuses. These funding opportunities will help to position California public higher education faculty as thought leaders and changemakers in the intersection between AI and education.

If you are… passionate about advancing equity in education, or want to pioneer the use of AI in higher education, or already a leader in the AI technology-education space…

AI Grand or AI FAST may be for you!

Ensuring College Access and Success for American Indian/Alaska Native Students

When the U.S. Supreme Court announced their decision last June to curtail the use of race in college and universities admissions, the Campaign responded by launching a national initiative, Affirming Equity, Ensuring Inclusion, and Empowering Action, to ensure that America does not return to an era of exclusion in higher education. Since then, we have published 11 briefs and profiled three experts to spotlight proven and innovative practices that advance equity.

Read The Brief

Professional Development Opportunities

Courses: Professional Development Courses offered by ZTC TAP

California Community College Chancellor's Office Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) Grant Program's Technical Assistance Provider (TAP) offers California Community Colleges free resources and services to support their successful development and implementation of ZTC pathways, leveraging the largest-ever pubic investment in Open Educational Resources (OER).

More Info

Vision in Action Professional Development Edition

FDPF alumni and current participants are invited to sign-up for California Community Colleges - Vision In Action website.

Here a some highlights from their August 2024 – Vision in Action No. 160 newsletter.

CCC | Anti-Racist Curriculum: Implicit Bias and Cultural Competency
CCC | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility for Financial Aid Professionals Curriculum
CCC | Equity-Centered Counseling Playlist
New Content in the Vision Resource Center
New Community for Vision-Aligned Reporting
Chancellor's Office System Webinars: Sep. 4, Oct. 2, Nov. 6, Dec. 4
COLEGAS 2024 Annual Conference| COLLECTIVE RESISTANCE: JUSTICIA Y LIBERACIÓN

Visit Vision Resource Center

Faculty Fellow Highlights

Kesia smiling while looking a the camera

KESIA GARIBAY, MSPH

2024 Fellow

Kesia Garibay, is a current program fellow. Kesia is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Merced, is enrolled in the Public Health program, specializing in health policy community engaged work. She earned her B.A. and M.S. in Public Health from the same institution. Her research focuses on examining the influence of health policy on underserved communities and exploring how community-based organizations can leverage policy to tackle health disparities.

Currently, she collaborates with Dr. Nancy Burke in the Health Equity Research (HER) Lab, investigating the mental health needs and available resources in the Central Valley. Kesia was honored as the recipient of the Graduate Dean's Dissertation Fellowship for Fall 2024.

Lead Faculty

Dr. Maria Wright

Professor of Education

Bakersfield College

(661)395-4607

Maria.Wright2@bakersfieldcollege.edu

Faculty Diversification Fellowship Program

Applied Leadership Program

Dr. Maria Wright and I am a faculty in the Education Department. Currently, I work closely on the Aspire Faculty Diversification Fellowship Program and the Applied Leadership Program.

Before taking on this role, I served as the Director of Academic Support Services for several years, where my work focused on centralizing efforts to provide wrap-around support for students. This work focused on enhancing the out-of-class academic experience for BC students. I have also served as the Advising Lead for the School of Business at a four-year institution and as an Educational Advisor at Bakersfield College.

I earned my doctoral degree from California State University, Fresno in Educational Leadership, my master’s degree in Educational Administration from California State University, Bakersfield, and my bachelor’s degree in Political Science from California State University, Long Beach.

As a first-generation graduate, I am deeply passionate about increasing equity, inclusion, and diversity in higher education institutions. More specifically, I seek to expand opportunities for students who have historically been excluded from social and educational opportunities.